Chair desk



Oct. 29, 1963 F. R. AMSLER, JR

CHAIR DESK Filed April 12, 1961 MENTOR FRED R.AMSLR Jn.

United States Patent 3,103,549 CHAHi DESK Fred R. Amsler, Jr., 4007 Briggs Ave, Erie, Pa. Filed Apr. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 102,504 1 Claim. (Cl. 108-6) This invention relates generally to desks and, more particularly, to portable, lightweight desks which a user may place across his or her lap while sitting in an upholstered chair, sofa, bed, or even on the floor.

Prior devices have been inconvenient and inefiicient to use.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable desk.

Another object of this invention is to provide a desk suitable for use in combination with a chair, the desk having an arm rest which is an integral part of the desk top and having a leg under the arm rest as well as legs under the desk top, providing a place in the space between the arm rest and desk top tor the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a desk for use with a chair or other support as a car seat.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a desk in combination with a chair which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple and efiicient to use.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invent-ion consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view ot a desk according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the desk in use;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a table leg;

FIG. 4 is a view of another embodiment of a table leg; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the invention.

Now with more particular reference to the drawing, a desk herein is shown supported on a seat cushion 11. A desk top 12 is generally L-shaped having a main portion 13 and an arm rest portion 14. The desk top 12 may be made to measure approximately twenty-one and one fourth inches by twenty-one and one fourth inches with the rectangular section forming the arm rest measuring approximately ten inches by four inches. The desk top could be made, for example, from a sheet of onehalf inch plywood or other light suitable material having a piece removed to provide a place for the body of the user. These dimensions are given by way 0t illustration only and are not intended to limit the invention in any way.

The desk top 12 is supported by three telescoping adjustable legs 15, 16, and 17 which may be attached to the desk top by means of wood screws placed through holes in a thin metal plate 18 and attached to the upper end of each leg. The opposite end of each leg may be covered by a resilient member such as a rubber or plastic crutch tip 19. Each leg is made of an upper tubular portion 20 and a lower cylindrical portion 21. The lower portion may have axially space-d holes 22 therein which receive pintles 23 which are fixed to a spring 24.

The spring 24 is integrally attached to a handle 25 at one end and to the tubular member 20 by means ot screws 26 or the like at the other end. Therefore, by grasping the handle 25 and pulling outwardly to deflect the spring 24, the pintle 23 will be pulled out of the holes 22 and "ice the portion 21 may move upward or downward to rest the pintle 23 in another hole and thus increase or elongate the legs.

Another embodiment of the legs is shown in FIG. 4 wherein a tubular member telescopically receives a cylindricalmember 121 and the upper end of .the tubular member has internal threads which threadably engage a plug 127. The plug 127 is attached toa plate 128 by means of a screw 129 which is threadably received in the plug 127 to hold it in place. The plate 123 may be attached to the underside of the table top by means of suitable fasteners such as screws in holes 130 and 131.

A crutch tip 119 may be provided on the lower end of the leg to prevent it from marring a finished surface or to prevent the leg from slipping. The joint between the cylindrical member 121 and the tubular member 120 which receives it is of a conventional type known to those skilled in the art. The lower end of the tubular member 120 is split axially at radially spaced positions by slots 136. By loosening a collar 133, the lower split end of the tubular member 120 will expand, release its grip on the cylindrical member 121, and allow it to adjust upwardly or downwardly therein. When the collar 133 is tightened, it will climb up the inclined threads and squeeze slots 136 together, thereby clamping the tubular member 120 onto the member 121 to hold it in position.

The spring 24- may be a spring steel strip, for example, two inches long by three-eighth inches wide and could be approximately one-eighth inch thick. The tubular members 24) and 120 could be one inch standard tubing and the pintle 23 could be three-eighth inch long. Approximately five holes could be provided in the member 21 spaced axially therealong at about one inch apart or the spaces could be put at some other spacing to provide either a finer or a coarser adjustment.

The members 20 and 21 can be slid in or out when the desired height is obtained and the cylindrical members can be locked in place by the locking member in either embodiment.

Another method of attaching the legs to the undersurfiace of the table is demonstrated in FIG. 5. Two circular disks 230 and 232 are provided. The disk 230 is a part of a plate 223 attached to the undersurface of the table and the disk 232 is a part of a telescoping leg 221. Both disks have serrated edges which intermesh. These two disks are locked together by a circular nut 229 which screws onto a bolt 227 which is an integral part of the disk 230. Thus, by loosening the nut 229, one of the disks can be separated from the other and turned to any desired position by rotating one disk or the other. When the desired position is reached, the nut 229 can then be tightened to lock the disks in that position.

The plate 228 is attached to a surface of the tube with screws in holes 231 so that the long area of the plate is parallel to the long area of the arm rest portion 14. This table top arrangement permits the legs to be adjusted so that they can always be maintained perpendicular to the upholstered cushion or surface on which the table sits, even though the table is tilted. Also, this arrangement permits the legs to be folded parallel to the table surface when the table is stored or not in use.

The desk may be used by placing it across the users lap with the arm rest in position under the right elbow. The desk could obviously be made [for a left handed person by making the arm rest on the opposite side. It may be used as a writing surface, book rest, typewriter table, lunch tray, or bed tray. The table may be tilted simply by shortening or lengthening one of the legs to some different height from the others.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention Which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claim.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

A table comprising a genenally L-shaped platelike top and a first leg and two second legs, the front part of said top being generally square and comprising a major part of the top surface of said platelike top, the rear side part of said top being generally rectangular and comprising a minor part of said top, one said leg being fixed to the bottom side of said minor part of said top adjacent the rear end thereof and approximately half Way from one side of said minor part to the other, the other two said legs being attached to the bottom side of said major part of said top, one adjacent each side thereof and adjacent the front end thereof, said minor part of said top being integrally attached to said major part at one side of the rear end thereof, one longitudinal side of said major part forming a continuation of one side of said minor part, said legs being adapted to rest on a sea-ting surface, two said legs to receive the thighs of a person therebetween, and said other leg resting on said seating surface beside the body of said person whereby said person can rest his forearm on said minor part and Write on a medium rested on said major part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 147,969 Peabody Feb. 24, 1874 1,679,017 Athans July 31, 1928 2,323,423 Schmidt et al. July 6, 1943 2,776,177 Vance Jan. 1, 1957 2,778,700 Mayer Jan. 22, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,147,375 France Nov. 22, 1957 

